LORD ASHCROFT has expressed his pride as the “richest and most comprehensive” view of the hardships and sacrifices of Britain’s First World War troops went on show yesterday.

The new exhibition is on show at the Imperial War Museum, London[GETTY]

Millions of visitors are expected to see the permanent display at London’s Imperial War Museum which brings together new technology and hundreds of original objects to tell the story of the war in vivid and poignant detail.

The critically acclaimed First World War galleries, part of a £40million revamp of the museum, mark the centenary of the outbreak of hostilities.

Lord Ashcroft has been credited for making a significant contribution to the museum’s regeneration. He is a trustee and his collection of 185 Victoria Crosses are on show in a gallery named after him.

Visiting the galleries is an unforgettable experience

Lord Ashcroft

He told the Sunday Express: “The new galleries are awesome. Ground-breaking technical innovations coupled with 1,300 objects from the Great War, everything from weapons and uniforms to diaries and letters, enable visitors to be transported back in time by a century.

“Visiting the galleries is an unforgettable experience. It captures the sights, smells and sounds that frontline soldiers had to endure as they fought in the trenches for their country and wider freedoms.

I am immensely proud to be associated with the museum and all it has done to provide a greater understanding of how the war started, why it continued for four long years and the global impact it had on tens of millions of lives.

“The unveiling of the richest and most comprehensive collection of Great War memorabilia in the world is a fit and proper way of marking the centenary. I applaud the efforts of museum director general Diane Lees and her team.”